阅读真题
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.

Speeding off in a stolen car, the thief thinks he has got a great catch. But he is in for an unwelcome surprise. The car is fitted with a remote immobiliser (锁止器), and a radio signal from a control centre miles away will ensure that once the thief switches the engine off, he will not be able to start it again.

The idea goes like this. A control box fitted to the car contains a mini-cellphone, a micro-processor and memory, and a GPS (全球定位系统) satellite positioning receiver. If the car is stolen, a coded cellphone signal will tell the control centre to block the vehicle's engine management system and prevent the engine being restarted.

In the UK, a set of technical fixes is already making life harder for car thieves. ' The pattern of vehicle crime has changed, ' says Martyn Randall, a security expert. He says it would only take him a few minutes to teach a person how to steal a car, using a bareminimum of tools. But only if the car is more than 10 years old.

Modern cars are far tougher to steal, as their engine management computer won't allow them to start unless they receive a unique ID code beamed out by the ignition (点火) key. In the UK, technologies like this have helped achieve a 31% drop in vehicle-related crime since 1997.

But determined criminals are still managing to find other ways to steal cars, often by getting bold of the owner's keys. And key theft is responsible for 40% of the thefts of vehicles fitted with a tracking system.

If the car travels 100 metres without the driver confirming their ID, the system will send a signal to an operations centre that it has been stolen. The hundred metres minimum avoids false alarms due to inaccuracies in the GPS signal.

Staff at the centre will then contact the owner to confirm that the car really is missing, and keep police informed of the vehicle's movements via the car's GPS unit.

31. What's the function of the remote immobilizer fitted to a car?

A) To help the police make a surprise attack on the car thief.

B) To allow the car to lock automatically when stolen.

C) To prevent the car thief from restarting it once it stops.

D) To prevent car theft by sending a radio signal to the car owner.

32. By saying " The pattern of vehicle crime has changed" (Lines 1-2. Para. 3), Martyn Randall suggests that ________.

A) it takes a longer time for the car thief to do the stealing

B) self-prepared tools are no longer enough for car theft

C) the thief has to make use of computer technology

D) the thief has lost interest in stealing cars over 10 years old

33. What is essential in making a modem car tougher to steal?

A) A coded ignition key.

B) A unique ID card.

C) A special cellphone signal.

D) A GPS satellite positioning receiver.

34. Why does the tracking system set a 100-metre minimum before sending an alarm to the operations centre?

A) To leave time for the operations centre to give an alarm.

B) To keep police informed of the car's movements.

C) To give the driver time to contact the operations centre.

D) To allow for possible errors in the GPS system.

35. What will the operations centre do first after receiving an alarm?

A) Start the tracking system.

B) Contact the car owner.

C) Block the car engine.

D) Locate the missing car.

答案详解
【文章分析】

第一段：首先描摹了偷车贼偷车后的一个场景，然后引出锁止器的作用

第二段：具体说明锁止器的工作原理。

第三段：装有高科技防盗设备的现代车迫使偷车贼的老伎俩不管用了。

第四段：第一句说明为什么装有高科技防盗设备的现代车的防盗性能更强，第二句则是说明这个优势的结果，即与车相关的犯罪率的下降。

第五段：偷车贼的其他花招。

第六段：系统中的100米的确认距离及其产生的原因。

第七段：报警后的操作过程。

【重点词汇】

1. be in for: 免不了遭受，必定遭到，Bankers could be in for another public stoning.

2. be fitted with: 安装，装备，The report advocated that all buildings be fitted with smoke detectors.

3. ensure: (vt.)保证，担保，I can't ensure that he will be there on time.

4. allow: (vt.)允许，Swimming is not allowed at this beach. 给予，提供，Their teacher allowed them three days for the assignment.

5. be responsible for: 对……负责，Another committee be responsible for rescue efforts and medical assistance.

【试题分析】

31. C 分析：原文第一段第二句话"The car is fitted with a remote immobiliser (锁止器), and a radio signal from a control centre miles away will ensure that once the thief switches the engine off, he will not be able to start it again."（配有远程锁止器的车辆，远在数公里以外的控制中心可以通过无线电信号遥控车辆的引擎，使其无法再次启动。），这句话就明确指出了远程锁止器的作用，即锁定车辆使其无法再次启动，与答案C吻合。选项A的意思是让警察可以意外抓获偷车贼；选项B的意思是一旦车子被偷，车子会自动上锁；选项D的意思是防止偷车贼给车主发出无线电信号；这些选项都与原文的意思有很大出入，可以明确排除。

32. B 分析：根据题干的信息，定位原文，即第三段。第三段的内容主要是说现在的车子配有高科技的设备，这使得偷车贼的日子更难过了。因为，"The pattern of vehicle crime has changed"偷车贼的作案方式发生了改变。原来只需要带上几件简单的工具，然后师傅带徒弟那样，用个几分钟就能把徒弟教会怎么偷车，而现在不行了，因为这种传统的偷车方式只能适合于车龄10年以上的老车（新车都装有高科技的防盗设备）。对应选项来逐一分析，选项A指出，偷车贼要花更多的时间来偷车；选项B说偷车贼自带的工具不再有用：选项C的意思是窃贼要会电脑技术；选项D说明偷车贼对10年以上的车子不感兴趣；从前面段落意思的梳理可以首先排除A和D，原文根本没有提到这两个意思；原文说现在的车子都装有高科技的防盗设备，也就是说老一套的偷车技术不管用了，但是没有提到说偷车贼要会电脑技术，所以C也是不正确的；只有B才符合题意。

33. A 分析：原文第四段第一句话" Modern cars are far tougher to steal, as their engine management computer won't allow them to start unless they receive a unique ID code beamed out by theignition (点火) key."（ 现代的车子防盗做得更好，因为它们的引擎管理电脑系统只在接收到一个独一无二的由点火器发送过来的身份密码后才允许启动汽车。）先从句子结构角度来分析，这句话的前半句是主句，后半句由as引导的部分是原因从句，所以as后面的内容就是本题的答案。再来分析as后的这句从句，又可以分成their engine management computer won't allow them to start的主句成分，和unless后面跟着的条件从句，而这个条件就是本题的关键点，即"a unique ID code beamed out by theignition (点火) key."。这里，可能会在选项A和选项B之间犹豫，那么我们再从选项着手分析。A指的是带有密码的点火器；B的意思是独一无二的密码卡；原文虽然提到了独一无二的密码，但是没有说过是card，而选项A的关键词都在原文中出现了，因此可以确定选择A为正确答案。

34. D 分析：原文倒数第二段的第二句话"The hundred metres minimum avoids false alarms due to inaccuracies in the GPS signal."（这一百米的最小距离是为了防止由于GPS定位不精确而造成的误报），与选项D的意思完全一致，即允许GPS系统有可能的错误。

35. B 分析：最后一段 "Staff at the centre will then contact the owner to confirm that the car really is missing"（控制中心的工作人员会和车主确认车子是否确实被偷），与题意相符。再来看其他选项，根据全文的阅读，这三个选项的确都容易产生混淆，选项A的意思是启动跟踪系统，C的意思是锁定汽车引擎，D的意思是定位失车。要想作对这道题，就充分说明了仔细阅读题干的重要性，题干 " What will the operations centre do first after receiving an alarm?"（控制中心在接到报警后会首先做什么？）选项A是在报警前发生的动作，选项C、D是在报警后，但都要晚于和车主确认，因此可以排除A、C、D，正确答案为B。